On September 10, 2018, I took my first steps into Centennial High School. As a sophomore who had just moved across the country from Michigan, it was fairly daunting to gaze upon the bustling halls of the school much larger than the one I had previously attended. However, what became from the last 3 years of my high school career was an experience packed with a lifetime of passions and memories. 

To sum up that experience into one article seems just as daunting as those first steps, but in light of this hectic school year coming to an end, the best attempt to chronicle my years at CHS goes a little something as follows.

Winnie the Pooh once said, “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” While CHS may not be Hundred Acre Wood, and it may seem adolescent to be quoting a childhood inspiration, the sentiments of Winnie the Pooh echo what my time at Centennial has felt like. 

A. A. Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh books, once stated that the purpose of writing his stories was to explain to his son, Christopher Robin, what was happening in the world and in himself. What started as a very personal explanation of the oddities that are emotions soon turned into a global phenomenon. The loveable characteristics of these stories can be described in one word: community. 

While I may not be Christopher Robin, my journeys through Centennial could be classified using the same word. It is the community and the friendships I have found myself capable of that have transformed me and my experience while living in Oregon. 

I never could have expected many of the happenings that exemplify my time at CHS, however, it is the unexpected occurrences that showed me what it really means to be a part of something. My time with The Talon and with the CHS Drama Department has been a representation of that.  It is simply impossible to account for all of the wonderful things my communities have brought me, they have taught me to keep close to what I most value. And for me, that is connection. 

Whether it was my childhood self diving into the tales of Winnie the Pooh, or my first few steps towards the enchanting community of CHS, it has always been about the passion and bravery it takes to continue. So, taking more wise words from the friendly bear I have found myself accompanied by, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” May we all be so lucky to have an explanation as to what the world means.